(FOX40.COM) — Basketball was the last thing on Mike Brown’s mind after the Sacramento Kings opened the season with a victory on Wednesday. 

The Kings beat the Utah Jazz 130-114 on the road, but Sacramento’s head coach didn’t talk about anything related to basketball in his postgame press conference, focusing instead on addressing the mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine that left 18 people dead and 13 others injured the same night.

“That is absolutely disgusting and it’s sad,” Brown told reporters Wednesday. “And it’s sad that we sit here and watch this happen time after time after time after time and nobody does anything about it.” 

The shootings happened at a bar and a recreation business. A manhunt is currently underway for a person of interest, a trained firearms instructor.

Brown said it was a “sad day” for the country and the world.

“Until we decide to do something about it, the powers that be, this is going to keep happening,” Brown said. “And our kids will not be able to enjoy what the United States is about because we don’t know how to fix a problem that’s right in front of us. It’s sad. I feel for families.”

“I don’t even want to talk basketball,” Brown said. “We played a game. It was fun. Obviously, we won, but if we can’t do anything to fix this, it’s over. It’s over for our country for this to happen time after time.” 

NBA players and coaches sometimes use their platform to speak on issues such as gun violence. 

Following the 2022 K Street shooting in Sacramento, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and then-Kings coach Alvin Gentry addressed the tragedy before tipping off a regular season game the next day. 

The Kings will host the Warriors for their home opener on Friday at 7 p.m.